Jekyll and Hyde

[ jek-uhl, jee-kuhl ]

noun

1. a person marked by dual personality, one aspect of which is good and the other bad.

Jekyll and Hyde

/ haɪd; ˈdʒɛkəl /

noun

1. 1. a person with two distinct personalities, one good, the other evil
   2. ( as modifier )

      a Jekyll-and-Hyde personality

Word History and Origins

Origin of Jekyll and Hyde¹

After the protagonist of Robert Louis Stevenson's The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1886)

Word History and Origins

Origin of Jekyll and Hyde¹

C19: after the principal character of Robert Louis Stevenson's novel The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde (1886)

Idioms and Phrases

A personality alternating between good and evil behavior, as in You never know whether Bob will be a Jekyll or a Hyde . This expression comes from Robert Louis Stevenson's The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1886). Also see lead a double life .